Talk:Isabella I of Castile (1451-1504)
|} | valign="top" width="50%"| |- | colspan="2" width="100%"| A portion of Spain was still under control of the Arabs (Moors). This was the area of Granada. By January 1, 1492, Granada was under their control. In contrast to the way that they had treated their Jewish citizens, they treated the Moors quite well. In the Treaty of Granada they allowed them to freely practice their religion and even be exempt from taxation for a number of years.Now that the problem of Granada was solved they began to listen to Columbus and his plans to find a new route to India. A route not by sailing east around Africa, but rather west across unknown waters. They also decided that it would not cost too much money to pay for the trip and the rewards might be quite grand. The person who was in charge of the Royal Treasury said the cost of the trip (3 ships and crew) would be about what is cost them to entertain a visiting noble for one week. |- | align="center" width="50%"| | width="50%"| On August 3, 1492 Columbus set sail with three ships the Niña, the Pinta and the Santa Maria and 87 men. (The flag of the main ship, the Santa Maria is shown on the left.) |- | colspan="2" width="100%"| Columbus reached America on October 12, 1492. Actually he had not been sailing for all that time. He had first arrived in the Canary Islands and left them on September 6th. He did not find a new route to India, but found for Spain a land rich with gold, silver and spices. He was convinced that he had found a new route to Asia and the East Indies. He thought that Cuba was actually somewhere in Asia and that the island of Hispanola (where the Dominican Republic and Haiti are now located) was just off the coast of China. He also found the native people. He supposedly called them Indians because he thought they were from the Indies. |- | align="center" valign="top" width="50%"| | valign="top" width="50%"| Columbus returned to Spain in 1493 bringing with him not only treasures, but also some of these natives. (The picture on the left is a panel from the main door of the US Capital. It is called the Columbus Door and has 8 panels showing scenes from Columbus' life. Just in front of Columbus you can see two of the Native American people.) Queen Isabella became the protector of the Native Americans. Queen Isabella established laws against the abuse of the Native American people by colonists and adventurers. |- | colspan="2" width="100%"| During this time Spain began its rise into greatness. This was the beginning of the "Golden Age" of Spain. Discovers such as Columbus were bringing them riches , their agriculture prospered, they became great manufactures of cloths, glass, steel weapons and leather goods. This could not have been achieved without Queen Isabella. She was able to see the potential of Columbus. Her laws and the fair way she treated her citizens (with the exception of her horrible treatment of the Jewish citizens) enabled Spain to be at peace internally. Her strong army and navy made Spain a world power and a great trading power. The Spanish she spoke is still used by the Spanish Royal Academy as the standard for the language. Isabella and Ferdinand had 5 children, four girls and 1 boy. They were Isabella, John, Joan, Maria and Catherine. Isabella not only made sure that the girls were well educated (which was unusual for that time), but also that they knew how to do such things as sewing. The children actually made most of their father's clothing. She herself would often mend her husband's and children's clothing. Unfortunately she was not able to enjoy much happiness with her children . Her son died in 1497. Her daughter, Isabella became Queen of Portugal, but she died in 1498 while giving birth . Her son (Isabella's grandson), Miguel died when he was three. Catherine married King Henry VIII of England, but he divorced her when she was unable to produce a male heir. Joan, who was to inherit the throne became crazy. Although she co-ruled with her husband, it was actually her that was the better ruler. Her husband did bring to their marriage the Kingdom of Aragon which enabled them to unite Spain. If the two Kingdoms remained separate it would have been doubtful that Spain could have achieved it greatness. But just uniting Spain did not enable it to become this great power. It needed a ruler such as Isabella who had the skill to guide and to make Spain a great country. |- | valign="top" width="50%"| # | valign="top" width="50%"| Isabella died on November 26, 1504 in Medina del Campo. In her will she asked that her successors protect and treat the people of the Americas the same as they would the Spanish people. Her husband continued to rule for 12 more years until he died in Madrigalejo on January 23, 1516. He was succeeded to the throne by his grandson, who was the son of his daughter Joan. This person was to become Holy Roman Emperor Charles V. my possible great grand cousin Mary Tudor was the only child born to Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon to survive childhood. Had she been born a boy, it is likely that the whole of English history would have been different (but probably less interesting!). Mary had a good childhood as a young princess, and was the center of court attention in her earliest years. But, as the years progressed and no little brothers followed, Mary's father began to look into the alternatives. Eventually, Henry sought an annulment from Catherine, and married his second Queen: Anne Boleyn. Mary was declared illegitimate and was to no longer be called "princess", but rather "The Lady Mary". When Anne Boleyn gave birth to Elizabeth, Mary was sent to attend the new young Princess in her household. Soon Elizabeth would be declared a bastard as well, since her mother also failed to produce a male heir for Henry. Shortly after the death of Anne Boleyn, Henry wed Jane Seymour, who sought to reconcile the King with his two daughters. Henry and Jane visited Mary and after, she wrote letters to the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V (her cousin) and the Pope stating that her parent's marriage had not been valid. was able to get an additional message to them, in secret, saying that she wrote the letters under duress. After that, she returned to court, although her title of Princess still had not been restored. In October 1537, Queen Jane gave birth to Edward, Henry's longed for son and Mary stood as the young Prince's godmother at the christening. The court was soon plunged into mourning as Jane died two weeks after Edward's birth. In January 1540, Mary gained yet another stepmother: Anne of Cleves. Although they shared different religions (Mary was Catholic, Anne a Lutheran), the two women became fast friends and would remain so until Anne's death in 1557. Unfortunately Anne's marriage to Henry wasn't so long-lived and she was divorced in July of the same year. Shortly after the annulment of his marriage to Anne of Cleves,Henry took another wife his 5th, Kathryn Howard. Kathryn was probably 18 years old, making Mary six years older than her new stepmother. Mary was apparently appalled at her father's action and there were come quarrels between Mary and Kathryn during the young Queen's reign. That reign turned out to be all too short, as she was arrested, tried and executed for adultery in 1542. At this time of emotional upheaval, Mary fell seriously ill and may have been in danger of losing her life. Her father was concerned enough to send his own doctors to look after her. Henry's last Queen was Katherine Parr, who was about four years older than Mary. They were married in 1543, and she survived Henry at his death in 1547. All three of Henry's children attended the wedding at Hampton Court. Mary was friends with her last stepmother, although they too had religious differences, as Katherine was a strong supporter of the Reformed Church. When Henry VIII began to fall ill, he drafted his will declaring that Edward would be his heir and Mary was to follow him if the young Prince were to die childless. Elizabeth was also included, and she would take the throne if Mary were to die without an heir. As we know in hindsight, this is exactly what was to happen. MARY IN EDWARD VI'S REIGN Henry VIII died January 28, 1547, leaving his 9 year-old son as King. The young Edward was a supporter of the Protestant faith, although Mary seems to have hoped at one point he would see the error of his ways and return England to the Church of Rome. Alas, this was not to be. She defied Edward's Act of Uniformity and openly celebrated Mass, which had been abolished. Edward and Mary struggled with this issue through the rest of the King's short reign. Some time in 1552, Edward began to show signs of the illness that would eventually claim his life. He was reported to have a hacking cough that eventually resulted in him spitting up blood and tissue. Medical historians generally agree that he had tuberculosis. Fearing Mary would return the country to the Catholic faith, powerful men in the realm, such as John Dudley, Duke of Northumberland and Henry Grey, Duke of Suffolk began to make their plans. Although they made moves to court Mary's favor, they worked secretly with their own agenda. Northumberland married his son Guildford to Suffolk's daughter Jane Grey, who would be in line for the throne after Mary and Elizabeth. By placing Jane on the throne in Edward's wake, they thought they would have a puppet they could control Jane seems to have had other ideas about that!. Northumberland put his plans into action and convinced Edward to leave his crown to his cousin Jane. MARY AND 'THE NINE DAYS QUEEN' Mary realized that a plot was being hatched to place Jane on the throne. She had been urged by some friends to flee the country since they feared her life would be in danger. Mary knew that if she fled, she would forfeit all chances of becoming Queen and returning England to Catholicism, so she chose to remain and make a stand for her crown. Edward died on July 6, 1553. Shortly afterwards, Northumberland informed Jane at Syon house that Edward had left the crown to her and that she was now Queen of England. Mary, meanwhile, was in East Anglia. Northumberland and three of his sons went to take Mary into custody. Mary was at this time moving around with a growing army of supporters. She knew that he must have confirmation of her brother's death, because it would be treason to declare herself Queen otherwise. She received news from a reliable source that Edward was indeed dead, and promptly sent proclamations throughout the country announcing her accession to the throne. Mary went to Framlingham Castle in Suffolk, which was better fortified. Her number of supporters was increasing and Mary took time to inspect her troops personally. The people of Suffolk were flocking to Mary and many of the leaders who were supposed to take her into custody instead went and begged for her pardon. By this time, the Privy Council in London realized their error in going along with Northumberland's plot and declared Mary the true Queen of England. She left Framlingham for London on July 24. Catherine of Aragon was the youngest surviving child of Ferdinand and Isabella, the joint rulers of Spain, and as was common for princesses of the day, her parents almost immediately began looking for a political match for her. When she was three year old, she was betrothed to Arthur, the son of Henry VII of England. Arthur was not even quite two at the time. When she was almost 16, in 1501, Catherine made the journey to England. It took her three months, and her ships weathered several storms, but she safely made landfall at Plymouth on October 2, 1501. Catherine and Arthur were married on 14 November 1501 in Old St. Paul's Cathedral, London. Catherine was escorted by the groom's younger brother, Henry. After the wedding and celebrations, the young couple moved to Ludlow Castle on the Welsh border. Less than six months later, Arthur was dead, possibly of the 'sweating sickness'. Although this marriage was short, it was very important in the history of England, as will be apparent. Catherine was now a widow, and still young enough to be married again. Henry VII still had a son, this one much more robust and healthy than his dead older brother. The English king was interested in keeping Catherine's dowry, so 14 months after her husband's death she was betrothed to the future Henry VIII, who was too young to marry at the time. By 1505, when Henry was old enough to wed, Henry VII wasn't as keen on a Spanish alliance, and young Henry was forced to repudiate the betrothal. Catherine's future was uncertain for the next four years. When Henry VII died in 1509 one of the new young king's first actions was to marry Catherine. She was finally crowned Queen of England in a joint coronation ceremony with her husband Henry VIII on June 24, 1509. Shortly after their marriage, Catherine found herself pregnant. This first child was a stillborn daughter born prematurely in January 1510, but this disappointment was soon followed by another pregnancy. Prince Henry was born on January 1, 1511 and the was christened on the 5th. There were great celebrations for the birth of the young prince, but they were halted by the baby's death after 52 days of life. Catherine then had a miscarriage, followed by a another short-lived son. On February 1516, she gave birth a daughter named Mary, and this child lived. There were probably two more pregnancies, the last recorded in 1518. Henry was growing frustrated by his lack of a male heir, but he remained a devoted husband. He had at least two mistresses that we know of: Elizabeth "Bessie" Blount and Mary Boleyn. By 1526 though, he had begun to separate from Catherine because he had fallen in love with one of her ladies (and sister of one of his mistresses): Anne Boleyn. It is here that the lives of Henry's first and second wives begin to interweave. By the time his interest in Anne became common knowledge, Catherine was 42 years old and was no longer able to conceive. Henry's main goal now was to get a male heir, which his wife was not able to provide. Somewhere along the way Henry began to look at the texts of Leviticus which say that if a man takes his brother's wife, they shall be childless. As evidenced above, Catherine and Henry were far from childless, and still had one living child. But that child was a girl, and didn't count in Henry's mind. The King began to petition the Pope for an annulment. At first, Catherine was kept in the dark about Henry's plans for their annulment and when the news got to Catherine she was very upset. She was also at a great disadvantage since the court that would decide the case was far from impartial. Catherine then appealed directly to the Pope, which she felt would listen to her case since her nephew was Charles V, the Holy Roman Emperor. The political and legal debate continued for six years. Catherine was adamant in that she and Arthur, her first husband and Henry's brother, did not consummate their marriage and therefore were not truly husband and wife. Catherine sought not only to retain her position, but also that of her daughter Mary. Things came to a head in 1533 when Anne Boleyn became pregnant. Henry had to act, and his solution was to reject the power of the Pope in England and to have Thomas Cranmer, the Archbishop of Canterbury grant the annulment. Catherine was to renounce the title of Queen and would be known as the Princess Dowager of Wales, something she refused to acknowledge through to the end of her life. Catherine and her daughter were separated and she was forced to leave court. She lived for the next three years in several dank and unhealthy castles and manors with just a few servants. However, she seldom complained of her treatment and spent a great deal of time at prayer. On January 7, 1536, Catherine died at Kimbolton Castle and was buried at Peterborough Abbey (later Peterborough Cathedral, after the dissolution of the monasteries) with the ceremony due for her position as Princess Dowager, not as a Queen of England. Prince Henry my possible great aunt's ex husband Henry Tudor aka (senior butt head), named after his father, Henry VII, was born by Elizabeth of York June 28, 1491 in Greenwich Palace. Since he was the second son, and not expected to become king, we know little of his childhood until the death of his older brother Arthur, Prince of Wales. We know that Henry attended the wedding celebrations of Arthur and his bride, Catherine of Aragon, in November 1501 when he was 10 years old. Shortly after the wedding, Arthur and Catherine went to live in Wales, as was tradition for the heir to the throne. But, four months after the marriage began, it ended, with Arthur's death. A treaty was signed that would allow Catherine to marry the next heir to the throne -- Prince Henry. Until then, Catherine's parents, Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain would send over 100,000 crowns worth of plate and gold as a wedding gift and Henry would pay the agreed upon dowry. It was deemed necessary for a papal dispensation to be issued allowing Henry to marry Catherine, as she was his dead brother's wife, and this marriage was prohibited in Leviticus. At the time, and throughout her life, Catherine denied that her marriage to Arthur had even been consummated (and given the boy's health, that is most likely the case) so no dispensation was needed. However, both the parties in Spain and England wanted to be sure of the legitimacy of the marriage, so permission from the pope was sought and received. This issue would be very important during the Divorce and the Break with Rome. The marriage still did not take place however. Henry VII had been slow to pay his part of the arrangement and her parents were refusing to send the marriage portion of plate and gold. The stalemate continued until Henry VII died on April 22, 1509 and his son became Henry VIII. Henry was just shy of 18 years old when he became king, and had been preparing for it from the time of his older brother Arthur's death. At this age, he was not the image that we usually call to mind when we hear the name Henry VIII. He was not the overweight and ill man of his later years. In his youth, he was handsome and athletic. He was tall and had a bright red-gold cap of hair and beard, a far cry from the fat, balding and unhealthy man that is often remembered Henry's marital career is probably the thing that he is most known for. The story of Henry's wives is told on their own pages. The Young King Shortly after becoming king, Henry VIII took Catherine of Aragon as his bride on 11 June 1509. He inherited £1.5 million pounds from his father and succeeded in the first peaceful transition of power after the Wars of the Roses. Henry brought a youth and vigor to the Court that had long been lacking and Henry dreamed of glory beyond the hunt and joust. Catherine of Aragon gave birth to their first child, a son named Henry after his father, in January 1511. The child died two months later, and was destined to be the first of many unhappy births the couple would suffer. Henry consoled himself by going to war against France, hoping to emulate his ancestors Edward III and Henry V. Henry met with some success in France, but while he was distracted on the Continent, his Scottish brother-in-law James IV used the opportunity to attack. Thomas Howard, Earl of Surrey led the English forces against James and defeated the Scots army at the Battle of Flodden Field. James was killed, leaving his infant son as the new king James V and Henry VIII's sister Margaret a widow. By 1514, Thomas Wolsey had risen to power in Henry's court and was to eventually rival Henry himself in wealth and opulance. He built Hampton Court Palace, which he eventually "gave" to Henry as a gift as he began to fall from power in the 1520s. On Friday, 28th January 1547 the man who had started his reign as a ‘Virtuous Prince’ died at Whitehall Palace. He was aged 55. The day before his death Henry saw his confessor and received Holy Communion. Although death was obviously imminent not even Henry’s doctors had the courage to break the news to the King. It was after all treason to predict the King’s death. It was though also imperative that a man have time to prepare his soul and so Sir Anthony Denny undertook the perilous task of warning his master that ‘in man’s judgement, he was not like to live’ and should remember his sins, ‘as becometh every good Christian man to do’. Henry responded by saying that he believed that Christ in all His mercy would ‘pardon me all my sins, yea, though they were greater than can be’ (Weir, Pg. 502). On this matter, Henry VIII was undoubtedly correct- his sins were ‘greater than can be’. Although the exact number of people that were executed by order of Henry VIII is unknown and estimates do vary widely, some suggest that the total could have been as high as 72,000, yet other estimates are much lower (Historic Royal Palaces). The second half of Henry’s reign was stained with the executions of wives, relatives, close friends and confidantes. Henry must have feared for his soul as only nine days before his death he executed his last victim, Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey (Childs, Pg. 311). It is no wonder then that Henry’s last known words were about summoning Archbishop Cranmer to his side. Denny asked the King whether he wanted any ‘learned man’ to speak with and the King responded that ‘if he had any, it should be Dr Cranmer, but I will first take a little sleep, and then, as I feel myself, I will advise upon the matter’ (Weir, Pg. 502). Sometime after midnight on 28 January Cranmer was summoned to the King’s bedside but when he arrived Henry was past speech (Wilson, Pg. 496). Derek Wilson describes how “At the end there was no master and servant, no prince and churchman; just a priest preparing a departing soul for eternity. Cranmer begged Henry to give a sign that he trusted Christ for salvation and, in response, he felt the grip on his hand tighten slightly. It was an evangelical departure: no anointing; no reading of Latin prayers; just a simple acknowledgment of the all-sufficient atoning work of Christ. Cranmer would have been glad of that.” (Wilson, Pg. 496). Shortly afterwards, at around 2 a.m., King Henry VIII left this world. The exact cause of the King’s death is uncertain, although Alison Weir believes that it was likely to have been a pulmonary embolism (Pg. 502). For the following two days after Henry’s death his body remained undisturbed in his chamber. His passing was kept a secret so much so that his meals were still being brought to his lodgings. It was not until the morning of 31 January that Lord Chancellor Wriothesley announced to parliament, through a steady stream of tears, that Henry VIII was dead (Wilson, Pg. 497). http://onthetudortrail.com/Blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/Edward-VI.jpgEdward VI of England, by William Scrots, c. 1550 On the same day young Edward VI was brought to the Tower and proclaimed King. The heralds cried ‘The King is dead! Long live the King!’ For a few days Henry VIII’s body, embalmed and encased in lead and surrounded by burning tapers, lay in state in the presence chamber at Whitehall, before being moved to the chapel. Alison Weir describes how ‘there were solemn dirges and tolling bells in every parish church in the land, in memory of the late King.’ Even Henry’s on and off friend and foe, Francis I, ordered a Requiem Mass at Notre Dame. On 14 February Henry VIII’s body begins its final journey from Whitehall to Windsor. “The vast coffin, covered with palls of blue velvet and cloth of gold, lay on a chariot drawn by black-caparisoned horses, who drew it along roads that had been swept and even widened for the occasion. On top of the coffin was a wax effigy of the King, carved by Nicholas Bellin and clad in crimson velvet trimmed with miniver; on its head was a crown atop ‘a night cap of black satin, set full of precious stones.’ It wore jeweled bracelets and velvet gloves adorned with rings.” (Weir, Pg. 503) So it seems that even in death Henry remained magnificent. The cortege rested overnight at Syon Abbey and the next day reached its destination, Windsor. It took sixteen very strong Yeoman of the Guard to carry Henry’s coffin into the church and lower it into the vault in the choir of St George’s Chapel, in accordance with the King’s will. Here Henry was laid to rest next to his beloved Queen Jane, mother of Edward VI- Henry’s longed for heir. Queen Catherine Parr watched the sermon being preached by Gardiner from Katherine of Aragon’s closet (Weir, Pg. 503). At the conclusion of the ceremony, the chief officers of the household broke their white staves of office and threw them into the vault after the coffin. Henry VIII had planned to be buried in a magnificent Renaissance tomb that he’d taken over from Wolsey but this was never completed. Work ceased on the tomb with the death of Edward VI and it was partially dismantled by the Commonwealth in 1649. Under Oliver Cromwell, most of the fine metalwork was sold off or melted down and the one remaining candlestick now rests in Ghent Cathedral. Henry’s sarcophagus also survives but does not contain the body of Henry VIII. Instead it was used as the base of Lord Nelson’s tomb in the crypt of St Paul’s cathedral. The great Henry now lies under a simple, 19th century black marble floor slab that reads, In a vault Beneath this marble slab Are deposited the remains Of Jane Seymour Queen of King Henry VIII 1537 King Henry VIII 1547 Henry and Jane are not alone in death as the vault is also the final resting place of Charles I and of one of Queen Anne’s infants, both placed there in the seventeenth century. This short video presented by David Starkey is about Henry’s final resting place. Fast Tube by Casper To some Henry was ‘Great Harry’, the man who rescued England from the tyranny of the Roman church, the Renaissance prince, the ruler of the most magnificent court in English history and patron to the arts. Yet to others he was a tyrant, an unmerciful monster that murdered hundreds, almost bankrupted his treasury in pursuit of glory and the person responsible for the destruction of hundreds of abbeys and churches. One of Henry’s earliest biographers, writing in the year of Henry’s death, William Thomas declared that the King “was undoubtedly the rarest man that lived in his time. I say not this to make him a god, nor in all his doings I will not say he has been a saint. He did many evil things, but not as a cruel tyrant or as a hypocrite. I wot not where in all the histories I have read to find one equal to him.” (Weir, Pg. 504). And after 464 years Thomas’ declaration remains true for Henry VIII still has no equal. |- | width="50%"| #he eyes have become small, buried in excess flesh, and his mouth thin and, I think, cruel), and his leg ulcer, caused probably by an earlier accident, began to give him great pain. It was also offensive, and his next and later wives would be required to change the dressings. His temper became worse and more unpredictable. #"By 1546, Henry had become gross and suffered from violent fits of temper and longer periods of senile feebleness. #Towards the end of January 1547, Henry started having periods of partial unconsciousness, alternating with periods of mental alertness; he was probably passing into a uraemic coma. On the 27th, he realised that he was near to death and he asked for Thomas Cranmer. His attendants had obviously not been prepared for his death, or Cranmer would have been readily available. As it was there was some delay in alerting the archbishop and by the time he arrived, Henry had lost the power of speech. Henry grasped the hand of the archbishop and, when asked if he really did repent his sins, pressed it. This was taken as Henry's repentance and so he died 'in grace'." #"Henry VIII died from obesity with renal and hepatic failure. It does not appear that he had syphilis, but rather suffered from what might be termed 'Cushing's syndrome', an endocrine abnormality with associated suprarenal abnormality. His leg ulcers were only incidental, but hastened amyloid disease and renal and liver failure." #Henry is buried in St George's Chapel, Windsor, with his third wife, Jane Seymour. A plaque marks the spot. #There is no hard evidence that Henry had syphilis. His illegitimate son, Henry Fitzroy, died young, probably from the family disease, tuberculosis. Henry's heir, Edward VI, died from it also, painfully. His mistresses did not appear to have syphilis, and neither his wives nor his children showed evidence of it. # # It seems Henry was a mass of rotten flesh. When "his huge carcass was put into a lead coffin and taken in procession through the streets of London and reached Syon House at twilight ... an horrific event took place. According to a contemporary account: #...the leaden coffin being cleft by the shaking of the carriage, the pavement of the church was wetted with Henry's blood. In the morning came plumbers to solder the coffin, under whose feet was seen a dog creeping and licking up the King's blood. The story gained wide circulation and people remembered Friar Peto's denunciation of the king from the pulpit of Greenwich Church four years previously, in which the bold friar compared Henry with Ahab, and told him to his face 'that dogs would, in like manner, lick his blood'."after that he died thank goodness